However I am happy to hear that the movie opened so strongly this weekend. Only because it hopefully opens up the door to Melissa McCarthy making better movies. Buzzfeed reports that the numbers are especially promising because of the blizzard that trapped millions of people inside this weekend.

Identity Thief…opened to an estimated $36.6 million this weekend — especially remarkable considering audiences across New England were buried under several feet of snow thanks to Winter Storm Nemo. It’s McCarthy’s first lead feature film role ever, and just her second film after her breakout, Oscar-nominated supporting role in 2011′s Bridesmaids… More importantly, Universal marketed Identity Thief by focusing on McCarthy’s killer comic chops…

Considering that this movie looked pretty awful, I feel confident saying that Melissa McCarthy’s acting is what inspired so many people to pay to see this movie. (I love you Jason Bateman, but you wear the same khakis in every movie.) Especially since all the trailers seemed to focus on her wacky hijinks.

And that’s awesome because she is incredibly funny. With the rise of so many awesome women this year, I feel like she got lost in the post-Bridesmaids-women-can-make-us-laugh jumble and I kinda forgot how much I liked her.

Then I saw her cameo in This is 40and fell in love all over again. She’s without a doubt the funniest part of the movie.

And it has to be said that she’s able to make us laugh in this This is 40 scene without turning it into a very special Shallow Hal moment. There’s not one donut joke to be had in the whole scene. Yep, she gets through an entire monologue without breaking the chair she’s sitting on. It’s amazing. She can be funny without calling attention to being fat. She’s very talented in that way.

So Hollywood, pay attention. Melissa McCarthy’s ready for a project that’s about more than her body. And so are we. Let’s make it happen!